Shared by Ronit Drucker, Rozita Gol, Evelyn Siouni and Coby Gohari
Shared by Ronit Drucker, Rozita Gol, Evelyn Siouni and Coby Gohari
Persian Green Rice with Potato Tahdig
Yield: 8-10 servingsTime: 30 min + 3-4 H inactive
Persian Green Rice with Potato Tahdig
Yield: 8-10 servingsTime: 30 min + 3-4 H inactiveFamily Journey
Bukhara, UzbekistanMashhad, IranTehran
Holon, IsraelQueens and Great Neck, NY
This rice recipe from Tamar Moradoff gets its verdant color from fresh and dried dill as well as lima beans. Golden potato slices add to the tahdig, the prized crispy crust of Persian rice dishes. Be sure to rinse your rice well and start soaking it the night before.
Read more about Tamar and her family in "The ‘Boss Lady’ Mashadi Chef and Grandmother" and try her recipes for grape leaf dolmeh with sweet and sour filling, ash reshteh (Persian creamy noodles with walnuts), and kuku sabzi (Persian omelet).
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 8 ounces frozen baby lima beans
- 1 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
- 3-4 tablespoon dry dill
- 1 1/2 tablespoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon pepper pepper
- ½ cup oil, divided
- 1 large waxy potato, cut into ¼ inch slices
Preparation
Step 1
Wash the and rinse the rice a few times, then place into a large bowl with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and completely cover with water. Cover and set aside to soak for 2-3 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Step 2
Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Add the rice and frozen lima beans to the pot and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, strain, and run under cold water.
Step 3
Gently toss together the rice and lima bean mixture with the fresh and dry dill. Add 1 ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Step 4
In a deep 10-inch nonstick pan, heat ¼ cup oil over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, place sliced potatoes side by side into the oil. Allow to fry for 2-4 minutes.
Step 5
Lightly place ⅓ of the rice mixture into the pan atop the potatoes and gently press down with the back of a wooden spoon. Place the rest of the rice into the pan and spread evenly. With the handle of a wooden spoon, poke some holes into the rice, reaching the pan, to allow steam to come through.
Step 6
Mix ¼ cup of oil and ½ cup of water and then pour evenly over the rice. Place a paper towel directly onto the rice and wait until some steam begins to rise from the rice. Reduce the heat to very low.
Step 7
Flip the lid of your pot upside down and cover it with a clean dish towel. Flip it back over and pull the corners of the towel together over the top of the lid. Tie the ends together to prevent them from burning. Place the lid onto the pot and allow the rice to steam for 40-50 minutes over low heat, until you begin to see the edges of the tahdig brown.
Step 8
Remove from heat and let the tahdig set, covered for at least 10 minutes before carefully flipping the pot onto a serving tray.
